Lock



NOV. 30, A WASSENHQVE 2,100,679

LOCK

" Filed July 23, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet l F2321 Eye 117 venfor:

Nov. 30, 1937. A. WASSENHOVE LOCK Filed July 23, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2In vemom- 94,4, WWW

Patented Nov. 30, 1,937

* UNITED STATES LOCK Antoine Wassenhove, Brussels, Belgium ApplicationJuly 23, 1936, Serial No. 92,129 In Germany July 19, 1935 3 Claims. (01.-307) The invention relates to a latch lock combined with a permutationlock, in which the permutation discs or rings of the lock are movable bya key.

The invention consists essentially in that a common key is used foractuating the locking bolt, the latch bolt and the permutation discs orrings, two key holes, an upper and a lower key hole, being provided inthe look. When the key is introduced in normal position into the upperkey hole, the locking bolt and the latch bolt can be moved in known wayby rotation of the key. If, however, the key is introduced into theupper key hole in a parallel position to the normal but turned through180, certain of the permutation rings or discs of the lock can be movedby one or more rotations of the key. If, after this, the key isintroduced into the lower key hole, other permutation discs or rings aremoved by rotation of the key.

In this way it is possible while using a simple, for example groovedkey, to combine a normal latch lock and a permutation lock with aplurality of permutation discs or rings into a very secure safety lock.

By a particular construction of the permutation discs or rings used inthis look it is further made possible not only to turn the discs orrings to a determined code number or setting during locking, but also toopen the look if the operator, who previously turned the discs or ringsto the locked setting has forgotten the code, another so-calledauxiliary code known to the operator being used to enable the discs orrings to be set and. the lock unlocked without forcible opening. Forthis purpose the discs are provided on their peripheries with a number,say eleven, of equally spaced similar shaped notches in which the bit ofthe key engages in succession during the normal movement of the discs,while for use with the auxiliary code a further, for example twelfth,notch of less depth is provided so that, when this notch is in position,the key cannot engage deeply enough and further movement of the discs isthereby prevented. In this way a definite end position is provided foreach disc and it is possible starting from this end position to set thediscs to the auxiliary code by turning them to the left or right as thecase may be, so that unlocking is possible at this setting without itbeing necessary to remove the lock from the door.

In order to enable the latch lock according to the invention to be usedas a simple lock even with the permutation discs set in lockingposition, a releasable holding device is provided in front of thelocking bolt on the appropriate side, by means of which the shot lockingbolt is held in the locked position. The lock can then be used as anordinary latch lock when the holding device is released and the lockingbolt is still shot, without the discs haw'ng to be set each time, whilewith the locking bolt held by the holding device,

opening of the door can be efiected only by the person who knows thecode or who can, if necessary, open the door by the aid of the auxiliarycode.

A'lock according to the invention is shown by way of example in theaccompanying drawings:-

Fig. 1 is aside View of the lock with the looking bolt retracted andwith the front wall removed.

Fig. 2 is a front view, partly in section on the line A-A of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a side View of the lock with the locking bolt shot and withthe front wall removed, and Fig. 4 shows the provision of a holdingdevice in front of the bolt.

In the figures l designates .the locking plate, 2 the front andbacklwalls of the lock case, 3 the latch bolt, 4 the latch button and 5the locking bolt.

On a pin 6 on the stepped locking bolt 5 a twoarmed lever l is pivoted,whose upper end engages the latch bolt and actuates the latter when, thelocking bolt 5 being retracted, the lower arm of the lever is swung inthe direction of the arrow, by rotation of the key ill inserted innormal position in the upper key hole 3. It is unnecessary to describethe remaining parts of the combined lever lock and latch which are ofknown kind and housed in the upper part of the case because their modeof operation is not of importance.

The locking bolt 5 has a downwardly directed extension ll on the end ofwhich are two spaced, parallel, similar tongues I2 which cooperate withthe permutation lock and thus convert the look into a safety lock.

The permutation lock comprises two locking discs l3, l3 with theirrespective permutation discs [4, l4 and a spacing disc l5 between thelocking discs. The discs are rotatable in either direction upon aspindle l6 which traverses both casing walls 2.

As the drawings show, each disc l4, M has a number of holes ll, forexample twelve, equally spaced and concentric, which are numbered andserve as the permutation indicators for the look.

For this purpose the locking discs I 3, l3 have each on the side facingthe respective permutation discs at short pin l8 which can be set in anyof the holes I1 as desired and thus couples the disc I4 or I4 to therespective disc I3 or I3. By setting each pin I8 into one or other ofthe holes ll of the respective discs I4, Hi the lock can be adjusted forany one of a large number of different code numbers.

Each locking disc I3, I3 has a recess I9 for the reception of thecorresponding tongue I2 on the extension I I of the bolt 5 when thepermutation discs have been correctly set for unlocking.

This setting is seen for example in Figs. 1 and 2 while Fig. 3 shows,with the locking bolt shot, the locking discs I3, I3 in a differentposition so that in this position retraction of the locking bolt is notpossible.

To adjust the permutation discs I4, I4 a bitted key In is used which,when introduced in normal position in the upper key hole 8, can in knownmanner actuate the latch bolt 3 and with the permutation discs correctlyset, the bolt 5 also.

The same key In can, however, be inserted into the upper keyhole 8'axially parallel with the first position but turned through 180 and thenserves to move the permutation disc I4 seen on the right hand side inFig. 2 and with it the associated locking disc I3. The distance plate 20ensures that the key II) can only actuate the permutation disc I4. Thesetting is effected by the key bit engaging in succession the, forexample eleven, similar notches 22 in the permutation disc I4 until thedesired position is reached.

A second, normal key hole 9 is provided at the lower end of the lock,and upon introducing the same key I into this keyhole 9 and turning thekey, the permutation disc I4 nearest the left hand side wall 2 of thelock in Fig. 2 together with its locking disc I3, can be rotated. Sothat the key I0 may only act upon this disc I4, a distance disc 20 isprovided on the right hand side wall 2 in Fig. 2.

The step-wise movement of the permutation discs I4, I4 and of thelocking discs I3, I3 associated therewith is assisted by leaf springs 2Ithe ends of which engage in the notches 22 in the peripheries of thepermutation discs.

For particular reasons, in this permutation lock the permutation discsI4, I4 can be rotated in both directions by the key I0, but at oneparticular point of its periphery it cannot be turned further, that isto say rotation of the permutation discs I4, I4 in both directions isonly possible up to a definite limit in each direction.

This has the following purpose:-

The code number to which the discs have been turned in locking may beforgotten. In that case without the arrangement described below of thepermutation discs I4, I4 in the case of a door lock, the lock would haveto be removed from the door and taken to pieces to enable it to beunlocked. To avoid this difficulty, a twelfth notch 23 is provided inthe periphery of each permutation disc I4, I4, in addition to theequally spaced, for example eleven, similar notches 22, as shown inFigs. 1 and 3. While now the permutation discs I4, I4 can be turned bythe key in either direction when it engages with one of the eleven deepnotches 22, this is not possible when the key bit, upon furtherrotation, reaches the twelfth, shallow notch 23 in the periphery ofeither permutation disc. From this point the key can only beturned backand the disc rotated in the opposite direction until, after passing theeleven similar deep notches 22, the

shallow notch 23 is again reached so that in this direction also thedisc is again checked.

Accordingly by the provision of the shallow notch 23 in the periphery ofeach of the permutation discs I4, I4 stops are provided from which thediscs can only be moved backwards to the right or left as the case maybe.

A note will have been taken not only of the set code but also of anauxiliary number so that, if the user has forgotten the particularposition to which the discs have been turned in locking, he can stillunlock it without taking it to pieces. For this purpose the discs I4, I4are rotated to right or left until further rotation is prevented by thekey reaching the shallow recess 23 in each case. Each disc is thenturned back in the appropriate direction so many steps until thepernautation lock reaches the position corresponding tothe auxiliarynumber. When this has been done, the recesses I9 in the locking dicscI3, I3 are in line with the tongues I2 on the extension 5. In thisposition the lock can be unlocked. Advantageously the user chooses as anauxiliary number in originally setting the locking discs in relation tothe permutation discs a number which has some special personalsignificance so that it will not be forgotten.

Since in the lock according to the invention certain movements arenecessary to achieve the extremely high degree of security, it isadvantageous for daily use to put the permutation part of the lockentirely out of action and use the lock simply as a usual latch lock. Tomake this possible the bolt is advantageously arranged to project, whenshot into its locking position as Fig. 3 shows, and a releasable holdingdevice provided on that side of the bolt 5 in which the bolt is moved inopening of the door or the like, as can be seen in Figures 2 and 4. Thisholding device can for example consist of a swing member 25 mounted onthe appropriate side of the door frame, or of a sliding member, whichcan be held fast on the door frame by means of a slider 24 or a catch orthe like, as Fig. 4 shows for example. In the closed position of theholding device 24, 25 the door can only be opened if the permutationlock is first actuated and the bolt 5 retracted.

If, however, the holding device is released, as indicated in chain linesin Fig. 4, the door fitted with the lock can be opened without operationof the permutation lock and with the bolt 5 still shot. It is then onlynecessary to move the latch bolt by means of the knob or by the keyintroduced in normal fashion into the key hole 8.

Naturally many constructional changes may be made in the lock incarrying out the invention. Advantageously the lock can at the same timebe constructed as a signalling device in known manner, in order to givean alarm if an unauthorized attempt is made to open it. This can beacontact device which may be constructed in various ways, and thecontact devices in a number of similar locks of the same kind can beconnected to a common alarm device at a central point. The constructionof the look as a signal ling device is advantageously effected by theuse of insulated parts in the permutation lock.

I claim:--

1. A door lock, comprising in combination a lock case having a front andrear plate, each plate having two key holes, a bolt slidable in saidcase, two permutation discs in said case, locking two discs one for eachpermutation disc, means for coupling one looking disc with onepermutation disc to lock said bolt in shot position, a single reversiblebitted key adapted to adjust said permutation discs and shoot said bolt,stops on the inner side of one of said case plates, the key being guidedby said stops and by the inner side of the other case plate, so that itsbit only acts on one of said permutation discs.

2. A door lock as specified in claim 1, in which each of the permutationdiscs coupled with the locking discs is adjacent one of the case plates,and in which the case has two key holes and the stops are arranged onenear each of said key holes, the stop near one key hole being on oneplate and that near the other key hole on the other plate.

3. A door look as specified in claim 1, in which the lock case has twokey holes and the stops are 5 arranged one near each of said holes, thestop near the upper key hole forming at the same time a guide for theother elements of the lock and for the key when actuating the bolt andits permutation discs.

ANTOINE WASSENHOVE.

